Nissan 350Z

Comments

Fell in love with the a new G35 last week...then my son said "Mom, look at the new Z"...so I did.OMG! Local dealer has a Redline Touring...says he'll sell for MSRP ($35,700). I think this is too high. What do you all think? Also, what should I get if I trade in my 2001 Jetta GLS 1.8T with 26,000 miles? I put a huge dp on it, so I am not upside down on this car...and it is in immaculate condition...has every option with no problems (love this car, too). Guess I just got the Z fever; but shhh, don't tell the dealer. LOL

nice cars, hunh? From your questions, you may be new to Edmund's, so you should know there is a wealth of information here ...

1) if you do a search, you'll find on this topic and on the "New" Nissan site, that MSRP is pretty much normal for the Z at this point. It's still a new, high demand car. You might do better financially if you wait for six months or so because inventories are building rapidly.

2) Your Jetta should fetch a very good price. You can find out what it might be by searching under "Used" and then select the car and add the options as you own it. This will give you a dealer retail, a private retail, and a trade in value.

3) Ihave to add this, sorry: you may love the redline .... it's the one I want, too. But it's not a very good financial decision, y'know. You've already eaten the two worst years of depreciation, it's now only worth about 2/3 of what it cost, and it has a lot of life left. I mention this because you say you like it.

blueguy, I was always interested in the discrepancies, too. A few months back Edmund's did an article to explain: KBB gives the "listing" price; Edmund's uses sale prices.

No idea if this is correct, but it helps with the perspective. On Ebay, Zs that are clearly used (one had 4000 miles) are still being listed at MSRP and above ... of course the bids aren't coming anywhere near the listing, or even the very high reserves. I wonder if any of them are going for bid.

I found it odd that for once KBB and Edmunds were quite close in prices. The first time I've ever seen that. I sold a 91 Stanza for 2k and Edmunds claimed I could only get $800 for it. Sorta made me distrustful of their TMV ratings...

I sat in a Z a few days ago when I was at a nissan dealership helping my bro-in-law look at a Murano. I've forgotten how low one sits in a z-car. Good grief! From inside though the car's exterior feels small. Weird considering how large the car appears from outside.

BTW, the Murano's CVT was pretty darn sweet. Nice vehicle too. The Murano has better interior materials than any other Nissan or the Infiniti G35 coupe/sedan. Strange.

Sheehy Nissan is advertising in the Washington Post 350Z Touring's for $500 under MSRP. My Sheehy Honda dealer says they will go down to at least $1k under MSRP (I bought an S2000 for $880 under MSRP in 2001 when everyone else was at or above MSRP).

I suspect that 350Z's under MSRP will become more and more commonplace, especially in northern climates in the winter.

Hi...thanks for all your help with my dilemna. Spent half the day at the Nissan dealer...sent my husband in for tough negotiations. They wouldn't budge off MSRP ("nobody in this area (NJ) is selling below MSRP"), and wanted to give me $13,000 for my 2001 Jetta 1.8T (with leather pkg, sport pkg, moonroof, 6 CD changer, low miles...and they agreed it is in NEW CAR condition). Based on info from this site, that deal would have worked out to somewhere around $6,000-7,000 profit for them...just how much do they need to make on a deal??? Needless to say, I won't be driving the Redline anytime soon. And so far, that theory about prices dropping in the northern climates in winter isn't panning out. However, Washington, DC is within a reasonable distance...

The Z seat position actually reminded me of a 356 Porsche a friend of mine once had, like you're looking out over the cowl. I'd like to try one on a track or in autoX to see if it really makes you feel more a part of the car like it did in the Porsche.

Off topic: can you describe the feeling of the CVT? Whenever I've read a description, it's sounded as if it would be weird -- a constant acceleration force.

And i'm interested in what makes the Murano interior materials better for you? I've never had a problem with the Z, but I understand many people feel it's 'down market.' What makes the improvement notable?

I haven't driven the Murano CVT but have driven an Audi A4 1.8t and 3,0 CVT, a Mini Cooper CVT and a Toyota Prius CVT. CVT's are interesting, for some reason car makers program their U.S. CVT's to act like they have gears especially in manual mode - not the Toyota but the Mini and Audi have 6 artificial gears. If you leave them in drive they act like a CVT should for the most part - they have 2 modes economy and performance. If you are just putting around town they are in economy mode - the engine stays at a constant RPM that is the most efficient economically. If you need performance it switches to performance RPM typically the maximum torque/ HP RPM for the particular engine and the RPM stays there for as long as you want it. The CVT versions are typically just as fast as their manual counterparts, sometimes faster and get just as good gas mileage as a manual.

The CVT's are much more responsive than a conventional automatic - very good response from a standing start, no slushy, sluggish take off that you find in a conventional 4 cyl automatic configuration - instant acceleration from a standstill. The most dramatic comparison was the A4 1.8t with conventional tiptronic automatic and then A4 1.8t CVT. The tipronic A4 was typically a little slow off the line where the CVT felt like a manual transmission A4 1.8t performance wise. What's really nice is the power is always there no shifting gears or delayed downshift reactions - instant response.

The Mini Cooper CVT is the quickest Mini on an autoX course, it beats a manual Mini or Mini S every time with the same driver because all the driver has to do is mash the gas when max power is needed - instant response.

The Prius was a very nice drive - good response, nice performance, the CVT in the Prius was transparent as was all the Hybrid technology going on behind the scenes - just step on the gas pedal and go - very impressive.

Off topic: can you describe the feeling of the CVT? Whenever I've read a description, it's sounded as if it would be weird -- a constant acceleration force.

It's quite disconcerting at first as you expect the Murano to shift gears. Rather than shifting the car just maintains say 3000 RPM while you accelerate. Getting onto the freeway I mashed the accelerator and the car jumped to 4k rpm, staying there until I hit about 70. It's almost unnerving; eventually though you get used to the lack of shifting action. Quite nice really.

And i'm interested in what makes the Murano interior materials better for you? I've never had a problem with the Z, but I understand many people feel it's 'down market.' What makes the improvement notable?

The Murano has real aluminum trim everywhere. The majority of dash and door materials you touch are rubbery soft-touch types or leather-like. All of the Murano's various containers and such open with a smooth, silicone dampened raising and lowering motion (reminds me of VW). None of the console materials feel flimsy or cheap like most of Nissan's other recent cars.

Hi Folks- So we don't veer off topic any further, let's continue the discussion of the Murano in our ongoing Nissan Murano discussion. Also, feel free to start up a new discussion on this board if you'd like. Thanks!

If you hear any more news about when the CVT might be available in the 350Z, feel free to share it here. Also, it's not uncommon for different makes/models share similar features, and discussing the CVT in relation to the 350Z is certainly not a problem in this discussion.

However, once the messages veer off to the point that the 350Z is no longer the main focus... is when we consider the discussion to be veering off topic. And that's when I have to step in with my friendly reminder. Hope you understand. ;-)

I just got a little seat time in a 350Z touring 6 spd and felt like I should share some observations with prospective owners. First off after just a couple miles I already wanted one for myself. The awesome V6 alone is worth the price of admission imo. It has great torque and is surprisingly smooth and quiet. Two other things that surprised me about the car were the smooth ride and relatively light clutch. Despite the 18" wheels I thought the car had a nice, firm ride but not punishing at all. The clutch was light enough to be easy to use and would not kill your left leg in heavy traffic. As expected both steering and shifter feel were top notch. The comfortable seats and ergonomics were also pretty much flawless. The only issues I really had with the car were the high cowl and limited rear visibility. Due to the high cowl sitting in the Z made me feel like I was sitting on the floor looking up. In addition rear visibility, especially through the rear side windows, was laughable. My method for changing lanes was just to stomp the throttle and pray that there was no one behind me. Luckily the fat torque curve available throughout the rev range makes it unlikely that a car would catch you from behind. Unfortunately I'm saving up money to go to medical school so it looks like I won't be getting my Z any time soon. If any 350Z owners plan on selling their cars in about six years keep it in good shape for me!

I'm in the lane next to you next time you test drive, please adjust the outboard mirrors so you can see the blind spots without leaning every which way. Yeah, the blind spot on this car is as big as in any convertible, but using the mirrors will give you a good 120 degrees of coverage.

It's easy to adjust the side mirrors so you don't have blind spots in any car - to adjust the right mirror put your head in the center of the front seat like above the console and adjust the mirror so you barely see the side of the car - you will be adjusting it out.

For the left side mirror lean your head against the drivers window and adjust it the same so you can barely see the side of the car - again you will be moving the mirror out.

This sounds wierd but it works and you get used to it really quickly - you will have no blind spots. You will be able see cars in your rear view mirror and side mirrors very well and easily determine where they are in relation to your car - no blind spots whatsoever in any car.

i have noticed that some dealers have recently started putting the 350zs BELOW MSRP because of the cold weather and loss of initial momentum in sales after most of the enthusiasts pre-ordered. i am really interested in getting a 350 and need a good deal.

do you guys think that the prices will go back up as the weather gets hotter again and more people get into that sports car state-of-mind in the summer sun?

also, if so, when? about april or may?

i need a good deal and was wondering if now was the best time to buy or whether i should wait like i was going to until april or may. perhaps the good deals will just not go down anymore at that time or will they go back up? all of these things i am wondering. if any of you are actually connected to a dealership and could give me some factual information about car sales of these kinds of vehicles, that would be great. i REALLY love the 350 and i REALLY need a deal to get my own 350z Enthusiast with my limited savings. i am looking to pay for the whole car at once.

The local Nissan dealers (in SE Wisconsin where it's pretty cold) are all holding the line on MSRP for all versions of the Z. They also tell me they won't be discounting "because Spring is right around the corner."

They are also holding the MSRP line on the Murano.

Check CarMax.com however and you will find they are discounting the new Murano about 7.1% (Base Model) to about 8.5% (loaded model)from MSRP.

CarMax however is only coming about $100 off of MSRP on their Z's.

I have found that CarMax usually offers the best deals on newer models but you can usually do better on your own at a "normal Nissan dealer" on established models like the Maxima or Altima.

My guess is that you'll be hard pressed to get more than $500 off any model of the Z until late 2003 and $100-200 is probably more like it.

I hope I'm wrong because I'd like an enthusiast model as well but can't justify paying MSRP for a toy that I really don't have a place to store all winter. (I'm also watching for the rumored convertible.) That I might be able to find a place to store:-)

You might have better luck if you hold off until the '04 model year. By then, demand will have slowed enough to get some good deals come next winter, and other car debuts will increase competition forcing dealers to sell below MSRP. On top of that, the '04 model would be likely to clear up whatever niggling complaints have been posted about the 350Z (interior quality, etc.)

The point is that any dealer that discount a "z" is a fool.Nissan is going to be lucky to meet the 25000 unit target this year.If you are going to buy a z i would suggest you dod it quick while the supply is good.As to below invoice pricing LOL LOL LOL

25,000 units? It used to be 30,000 units. I bet the new target will be 20,000 units come March. Sorry, I just don't see Nissan selling a ton of these. I can, however, see them lowering targets in order to keep the price high.

I doubt that Nissan would lower production just to keep the price high. That's a very Porsche-like move and not something a Japanese manufacturer would probably do. Considering that Z's are still selling at msrp(+) in the middle of winter, I think it's safe to say that Nissan will probably hit its sales target for this year. They may be sitting on the lots on the east coast, but here in California Z's seem to be in very high demand. Since California is where the bulk of Z's will be sold, Nissan probably isn't too concerned that people out in places like New York and Virginia aren't buying many. As for future years, obviously demand will decrease. Even with their famous badges, sports cars like the Corvette and Boxter have seen sharp drops in demand. A drop in demand doesn't necessarily indicate a bad product, that's just the nature of the sports car market.

In 4 months nissan has sold over 13k 350zs. I think 25k is certainly within reach.

Now the 2004s I can't see moving at that level unless Nissan does something to keep interest up. A convertible will help, maybe later or 05 then a supercharged or turbo model. Constant updates are the only way to keep the car moving off lots. Especially a sports car.

i am hoping sales might also become competitive as the 2004 supra is released. not sure if it is a confirmed production vehicle from toyota yet, but it claims to be aimed at direct competition with the Z. personally, i like the 350 sports car name and appearance better so i am hoping toyota will stir things up and get me a good deal as well.

thanks for the input guys. i think i will hold out until after winter and see what kind of deal i can get about march or april. i might drive wherever i have to go in the US to get one of these babies on a good deal

keep us informed on sales under MSRP or around invoice everybody who is buying these!!!